- Cole Caufield scored his 15th career overtime goal 30 seconds into extra time against Utah
- He got there in 384 games, faster than any player in NHL history
- Read below for the goal video, the old record and what Martin St. Louis said
Cole Caufield now owns the NHL record for fastest to 15 career overtime goals.
The Canadiens forward scored 30 seconds into overtime Thursday night to beat the Utah Mammoth 5-4 at Bell Centre. He reached 15 in just 384 games, and the old mark belonged to Connor McDavid, who needed more than 550.
Caufield took the puck on a 2-on-1, faked a slap shot and snapped a wrist shot over the right shoulder of Mammoth goalie Sebastian Cossa. Watch the winner:
Sebastian Aho (645 games) and Alex Ovechkin (653) are the next fastest active players to get there. Caufield beat both by a wide margin.
The NHL put out its own graphic marking the record:
Montreal needed this one. The Canadiens had blown a 4-0 lead in the final 2:39 of regulation against Winnipeg on Tuesday and lost in overtime, as we covered in our Jets comeback story. Caufield said afterward there was no excuse for that one.
Head coach Martin St. Louis was asked about the response after the win. He said the Tuesday loss might have helped.
“Maybe getting smacked in the teeth was what we needed.”
Goalie Jakub Dobes was asked about Caufield’s knack for scoring. He kept it short.
“He can score everywhere. Video games, on the ice, in practice, probably somewhere else, too. He’s just a goal scorer. He’s unbelievable.”
Montreal erased three separate deficits to force overtime. Adam Engstrom tied it with 5:06 left in regulation, and Nick Suzuki returned from a six-game absence with a goal and two assists. Utah got three goals and an assist from Logan Cooley, his second hat trick in a week.
The win moved Montreal to 10-3-3, with six wins in its last seven. Caufield has 11 goals in 16 games this season.
The Canadiens visit the Maple Leafs on Saturday.
